I am from the South, and I have always been slightly obsessed with all things Southern. And I'm not talking Larry the CableGuy or anything from the "modern" South. I'm talking Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, live oaks, MarkTwain, balmy Southern nights, fireflies, sweet tea... I love Rowan's name for so many reasons, but one of them is because my 88 year old Southern aristocratic grandmother, with her lilting Charleston SC accent, approved of it and said it was a perfect name for "a strong, Southern lady." So, what are some more names that give you that image? I'm looking for more surname-y type names, so no Charlotte's or Josephine's. Help berries!

I am a Texan now living in South Mississippi and I too love old Southern names. Rowan is one of my fave for a girl. It will always be a girl name for me.

Here are some other ideas, some from AnneRice novels, where I first saw Rowan as a teenager. Her books are of questionable literary value unless you are 15, but some great names!

Alabama native here that wanted the EXACT same thing as you when we were naming our first, now at it again for potential #2 some day. Personally, I don't think it gets more southern than using unique names from your own family tree! I actually joined ancestry.com just for baby naming. DS is JacksonFielding (Fielding is a name that has been used by my grandfather's family for generations) and if we have a little girl next time she will be AnnabelleMontgomery (Montgomery is my great grandmother's maiden name). I also know several other kids named the same way.